p>With finals around the corner, more and more students are turning to something other than coffee to keep up the energy to complete their work.

Many students are taking non-prescribed Adderall, medication normally used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

Oftentimes, non-prescribed Adderall is used as a study aid or to complete large amounts of schoolwork by enabling students to focus and work at an otherwise unnatural pace and for an increased period of time without needing a break.

Although it may seem harmless to pop a pill to concentrate, doing so is creating a negative work culture.

This practice not only gets students in the habit of leaving large amounts of work to the last minute, but it also results in students equating doing work with swallowing a pill.

With Adderall, students become addicted to the instant gratification and dependent on the drug to do work.

In reality, most students could achieve a better focus and improved study habits by making healthy lifestyle changes.

According to adderall.net, some side effects include the loss of appetite, headache, insomnia, anxiety, irritability and even addiction to the drug.

Rather than using Adderall to complete our work, we should instead focus on better study habits overall.

By spreading out work to be completed at a reasonable pace, students would have the time to complete projects well, to contemplate essay topics fully and to let studying sink in before re-testing themselves.

However, at times, crunched work schedules are unavoidable.

In addition to better study and lifestyle habits, professors could help alleviate the pressure by increasing communication with students and other professors so that exams and projects do not overlap.

Overall, we need to reflect on our academic and what is really important.

Are we really willing to sacrifice our work ethic and our bodies just to be a little more productive?

With more talk among students and professors, better time-management skills and study habits and healthy lifestyles, we can put an end to this school’s growing dependence on Adderall.

With finals around the corner, more and more students are turning to something other than coffee to keep up the energy to complete their work. Many students are taking non-prescribed Adderall, medication normally used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Oftentimes, non-prescribed Adderall is used as a study aid or to complete large amounts of schoolwork by enabling students to focus and work at an otherwise unnatural pace and for an increased period of time without needing a break.  Although it may seem harmless to pop a pill to concentrate, doing so is creating a negative work culture. This practice not only gets students in the habit of leaving large amounts of work to the last minute, but it also results in students equating doing work with swallowing a pill. With Adderall, students become addicted to the instant gratification and dependent on the drug to do work. In reality, most students could achieve a better focus and improved study habits by making healthy lifestyle changes. According to adderall.net, some side effects include the loss of appetite, headache, insomnia, anxiety, irritability and even addiction to the drug. Rather than using Adderall to complete our work, we should instead focus on better study habits overall. By spreading out work to be completed at a reasonable pace, students would have the time to complete projects well, to contemplate essay topics fully and to let studying sink in before re-testing themselves. However, at times, crunched work schedules are unavoidable. In addition to better study and lifestyle habits, professors could help alleviate the pressure by increasing communication with students and other professors so that exams and projects do not overlap. Overall, we need to reflect on our academic and what is really important. Are we really willing to sacrifice our work ethic and our bodies just to be a little more productive? With more talk among students and professors, better time-management skills and study habits and healthy lifestyles, we can put an end to this school’s growing dependence on Adderall.